Pneumatic stacker.



E. J. VRAALSTAD.

PNEUMATIG STAGKER.

APPLICATION FILED P3525, 1910.

Patented Dec. 31,1912.

' @Vi kunnen E. J. VRAALSTAD.

PNEUMATIG STAGKER.

APPLICATION FILED Emma, 1910.

1,049,178. Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

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APPLICATION FILED P3325, 1910.

1,049,178. Patenteaneammz.

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rUNITED STATES` PATENT FFIQE.

EDWARD J. VRAALSTAD, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB. OF ONE-HALF TO BUF- FALO PITTS COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PNEUMATIC STACKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31,1917?.

To all whom it may cof/wcm:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. VRAALSTAD, of Buifalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Stackers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The primary object of this invention is to simplify and cheapen the cost of construction and promote the eiciency of pneumatic stackers.

The invention contemplates controlling the direct-ion of the outlet from the stacker without changing the position of the hood; providing a simple and efficient coupling between the rotatable parts; improved means for moving the telescopic section of the delivery duct; means for revolving the latter on its axis; and means for effecting the raising and lowering of the duct.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away. Fig. 2 shows the end of the stacker duct omitted from Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the inner end of the stacker duct and its connection to the trunk. Fig. 5 shows the means for vibrating the stacker. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in perspective of the discharge end of the stacker. Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of a portion of the flexible rack for moving the telescopic section. Fig. 8 is a transverse section through the hood of the stacker duct. Fig. 9 is a view of the duct controlling windlass. Fig. l0 is a cross section of the duct.

Referring to the drawings, l designates the fixed trunk of a pneumatic stacker; 2 the elbow, and 3 and 4 tube-sections of the stacker duct. To enable the stacker to be vibrated on the trunk, and the tube-sections 3 and I to be revolved on their own axes, I provide couplings of improved construction. The coupling between the trunk and the elbow embodies a ring 5 secured to the lower end of the elbow and telescoping the upper end of the trunk; an outwardly extending plate 6, which is shown as integral with ring second plate 7 detachably united to a hori- Zontal portion of plate 6 by nutted bolts 8 and having a diagonally-extended bearing face at right angles to the bearing face of plate 6; and a surrounding ring 9 having flanges l0 at right angles to each other, one being parallel with the bearing face of plate 6 and the other parallel with the bearing face of plate 7. In the space thus formed between the several bearing faces are located ball bearings 13, which may be readily inserted or removed when plate 7 is detached without disturbing other parts. By this construction I form a secure coupling between the stacker and the trunk. For vibrating the former I have shown a gear wheel 14 carried by plate 6 and engaged by a worm l5 on a shaft 16 mounted 'on ring 9 and having at one end a hand wheel.

According to my present invention the two tube-sections 3 and 4 are designed to be conjointly axially revolved to control the direction of discharge. The coupling between tube-section 3 and the elbow is substantially a duplication of the coupling between the elbow and the trunk, but differs therefrom in that the ring 17 is encircled by the two plates having corresponding bearing faces paralleling the bearing faces of the ring. In the present instance the latter is shown as ixedly secured to the inner end of tube-section 3, while ring 18 carrying the two plates is secured to the outer end of the elbow. The detachable plate 19 is held to plate Y2O of ring 13 by nutted bolts 21. 1When this plat-e 19 is removed the ball bearings 22 may be readily inserted or withdrawn.

To prevent the outer tube-section from revolving axially independently of the inner tube-section, and to guide it when being moved inwardly or outwardly, I form a sliding connection between them, the inner section being provided, preferably at the top, with a longitudinal rib 23 and the outer section with a corresponding groove 24.-.

The delivery duct is capable of being raised and lowered, and for this purpose the two telescopic elbows are pivotally connected, as at 25, in a. well-known manner. Around a pulley 26 carried by the duct, I pass a crossed rope 27 the ends of which are connected, respectively, to upper and lower differential drums of a windlass 28 mounted in a frame 29 at the vibrating end of the duct.

One drum is of greater diameter than the other, and on the shafts of these drums are worm-wheels 30, which mesh with a worm shaft 3l, having a crank handle 32. By this means, as the rope is unwound from one drum it is wound on the other, and the worm-gcaring will always hold the duct in its various positions.

For the purpose of moving the outer' tubesection 4 inwardly and outwardly, I connect to the inner end thereof a flexible rack 35 which engages a sprocket wheel 3G on a shaft 37 supported on tube-section 3 near the inner end of the latter. T his rack is so formed that the flight thereof projected forward of and above the sprocket will be practically self-sustaining so as to avoid interfering with the lower' flight of the rack between the sprocket and the inner end of the telescopic section. The links are composed of corresponding end plates 39 connected by concave-convex cross bars 40. Each end plate is laterally off-set to form recesses to receive the forward ends of the end plates of the adjacent link which is held thereto by a pivot rod 4l located within the curved portion of cross bar 40. The end plates are also formed with fingers 42 which, when the chain is above and forward of the sprocket, will, byengaging the upper edges of the end plates of the next forward links, be prevented from turning downwardly on their pivots. In this way the upper flight of the chain is practically rigid and even though it should engage with the lower flight it will not interfere with its operation.

The outer end of the telescopic section 4 is formed with a fixed hood 45, the inner end of which, at thel point of juncture with the body of the tube, is preferably square in cross section as shown in Fig. 8. The sides of the hood are shown as being parallel, while the top is curved upwardly, forwardly and downwardly, the outer end being approximately on line with the top wall of the stacker duct so that normally the discharge from the stacker will be on practically a straight line, the hood offering no opposition. The hood has a large outlet opening in its bottom which is diagonal to and intersects the axis of the stacker. lThe area of this outlet opening is greater than the cross sectional area of the stacker at its widest point. F or controlling the direction of the delivery I provide a delector in the form of a flexible plate 46 which is shown as :fitted in guides 47 of the hood. Then this deflector is allowed to project into the hood it will deflect t-he straw toward the curved roof and the latter will cause it to be discharged at practically right angles to the normal line of discharge if the delector be projected its full extent, but even then the area of the outlet opening is not less than the cross sectional area of the body of the stacker. The deflector may be projected into the hood across the path of travel of the straw by a spring 48, and it may be withdrawn wholly or in part by a rope 49. When the deflector is in any position intermediate its two extremes the angl-e of discharge will be governed accordingly.

I have shown the telescopic section 4 as having an opening 50 in its top immediately in rear of the hood to relieve the force of the air pressure, but this feature is immaterial and may be omitted. Likewise, the outer section 4 need not necessarily be telescopic nor is it essential that both or either of the stacker tube-s be revoluble.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a pneumatic stacker having` a fixed trunk, a stacker vibratively secured to said trunk, a ring forming a telescopicl connection between said trunk and stacker and secured to the latter, a plate projecting from said ring having a diagonal bearing face, a second plate detachably secured to the first mentioned plate and having a bearing face at right angles to the first mentioned bearing face, and a ring encircling said former ring and having right-angular bearing faces paralleling the before-mentioned bearing faces to form a raceway, and ball bearings within said raceway.

2. In a pneumatic stacker having an elbow, a stacker duct composed of two sections, one being telescoped on the other and both axially revoluble, and means forming a coupling between one of the sections and the elbow.

3. In a pneumatic stacker having an elbow, a stacker duct composed of inner and outer sections, the latter telescoping the former, means mounted on the inner tube and connected to the outer tube for moving the latter inwardly and outwardly, and a coupling between the inner tube and said elbow to permit both tubes to be revolved axially.

4. A pneumatic stacker having the discharge end of the duct formed with a hood the top of which is arched and terminates approximately in line with the top of the duct, the discharge opening of said hood being of greater cross sectional area than that of the duct, and a deflector capable of extending into said hood to change the direction of the discharge therefrom.

5. A pneumatic stacker having the discharge end of the duct formed with a hood the top of which is arched and terminates approximately in line with the top of the duct, the discharge opening of said hood being of greater cross sectional area than, that of the duct, a deflector capable of extending into said hood to change the direction of the discharge therefrom, means for automatically moving the detlector in one direction, and means for controlling the position of the deflector.

6. A pneumatic stacker having the discharge end of the duct formed with a hood having parallel sides and a curved or arched top and an outletgopening extending diagonally of the axis of the stacker duct and terminating about in line with the top of such duct, and a deflector capable of being extended across the path of travel of straw through the duct to regulate the direction of' discharge, and means for controlling the position of the deflector.

7. In combination with a stacker duct composed of telescopic tube sections, a flexible rack connected at one end to one section, an operating shaft mounted on another sectio-n and having a sprocket Wheel for engaging said rack, said rack being composed of pivoted links both flights of which extend forward of the operating shaft with the forward end of the upper iiight free, and means carried by the rack for preventing the links of the upper flight from bending.

S. In combination with a stacker duct composed of telescopic tube sections, a flexible rack connected at one end to one section and supported by the other section, an operating shaft having a sprocket for engaging said rack which latter has an upper flight which is extended forwardly of the sprocket above the lower' flight, said rack being composed of flexibly connected links each having a finger for engaging an adjacent link to prevent the links of the upper flight from bending relatively to one another.

9. In combination with a stacker duct composed of telescopic tube sections, a flexible rack connected at one end to one section and supported by the other section, an operating shaft having a sprocket for engaging said rack which latter has an upper flight which is extended forwardly of the sprocket above the lower flight, said rack being composed of flexibly connected links each having end plates formed with lateral offsets, projecting fingers, and cross-bars, said fingers serving to prevent the links of the upper flight from bending relatively to one another.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDW'ARD J. VRAALSTAD.

Witnesses:

S. Y. VAN ARNAM, H. P. SEIPP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

